19 May 20
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Loren, RSN Reader-Supporter
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18 May 20
John Oliver Reveals 'Damning' Evidence Against Sen Richard Burr, Who Dumped Stock After Coronavirus Briefing
Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast
Stern writes: "The 'Last Week Tonight' host thinks that the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee is 'in deep sh*t.'"
n Sunday night, after briefly touching on immunologist Rick Bright’s whistleblower testimony in front of Congress accusing the Trump administration of ignoring his warnings about the novel coronavirus and their lack of preparedness, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver tackled “a major scandal brewing in Washington”: the curious case of Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast
Stern writes: "The 'Last Week Tonight' host thinks that the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee is 'in deep sh*t.'"
The “Last Week Tonight” host thinks that the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee is “in deep sh*t.”
n Sunday night, after briefly touching on immunologist Rick Bright’s whistleblower testimony in front of Congress accusing the Trump administration of ignoring his warnings about the novel coronavirus and their lack of preparedness, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver tackled “a major scandal brewing in Washington”: the curious case of Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
This past week, Sen. Burr was forced to step down as Intelligence Committee chair amid an FBI probe into his stock dealings—confiscating his cellphone in the process.
“It’s true: The FBI seized Burr’s cellphone on suspicion that he may have used non-public information from coronavirus briefings to dump shares ahead of the market crash,” Oliver explained. “The details here do not look particularly good for him.”
One day after a February briefing wherein Burr and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were briefed on the potential impact of COVID-19 on the economy, Burr sold off $1.7 million in stock that included shares in the travel and hotel industries.
“That is pretty damning. The only way that could have been any shadier is if Burr then bought a ton of shares in the actual coronavirus,” joked Oliver.
If that weren’t enough, Burr’s brother-in-law, Gerald Fauth, sold between $97,000 and $280,000 in stock on the same day he did—and a private recording emerged in late February of Sen. Burr warning a group of business executives that COVID-19 would have a dire impact on the country.
“Now, Burr staunchly maintains that he did nothing wrong here, basing his sales solely on news reports at the time. And you know what? Sure,” said Oliver. “But there are things in Burr’s past that are inherently suspicious. For one thing, there was his position on the Stock Act, which forbids members of Congress from trading on non-public information that they learn on the job. Burr was one of only three senators to vote against that legislation.”
He added: “So it seems Burr has found himself in a situation that’s not unlike that of the federal government: He got information about the coronavirus early, there are lots of questions about what he did with it, and now he is, if I may quote the testimony of a very tired public health official, ‘in deep shit.’”
Then-national scurity adviser Michael Flynn talks to others in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 13, 2017. (photo: Jabin Botsford/WP)
John Gleeson Got John Gotti. Now He's Taking on Michael Flynn.
Johnny Dwyer, The Daily Beast
Dwyer writes: "His appointment is a step in the right direction. It doesn't ordain an outcome but guarantees a level of integrity to the process."
READ MORE
Johnny Dwyer, The Daily Beast
Dwyer writes: "His appointment is a step in the right direction. It doesn't ordain an outcome but guarantees a level of integrity to the process."
READ MORE
Protesters carrying mobile phones try to enter the Michigan house of representatives chamber during an anti-lockdown protest in Lansing on 30 April. (photo: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images)
US Lockdown Protests May Have Spread Virus Widely, Cellphone Data Suggests
Jason Wilson, Guardian UK
Wilson writes: "Cellphone location data suggests that demonstrators at anti-lockdown protests - some of which have been connected with Covid-19 cases - are often traveling hundreds of miles to events, returning to all parts of their states, and even crossing into neighboring ones."
Jason Wilson, Guardian UK
Wilson writes: "Cellphone location data suggests that demonstrators at anti-lockdown protests - some of which have been connected with Covid-19 cases - are often traveling hundreds of miles to events, returning to all parts of their states, and even crossing into neighboring ones."
EXCERPTS:
The anonymized location data was captured from opt-in cellphone apps, and data scientists at the firm VoteMap used it to determine the movements of devices present at protests in late April and early May in five states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado and Florida.
One visualization shows that in Lansing, Michigan, after a 30 April protest in which armed protesters stormed the capitol building and state police were forced to physically block access to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, devices which had been present at the protest site can be seen returning to all parts of the state, from Detroit to remote towns in the state’s north.
One device visible in the data traveled to and from Afton, which is over 180 miles from the capital. Others reached, and some crossed, the Indiana border.
In the 48 hours following a 19 April “Operation Gridlock” protest in Denver, devices reached the borders of neighboring states including Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Utah.
In Florida on 18 April, devices returned to all parts of the peninsula and up to the Georgia border. In Wisconsin on 24 April, devices returned to smaller towns like Green Bay and Wausau, and the borders of Minnesota and Illinois.
Following the initial wave of anti-lockdown protests in April, epidemiologists warned that they could lead to a new surge in cases.
In North Carolina in late April, one of the leaders of the state’s anti-lockdown protests tested positive for Covid-19 but said she would attend future rallies.
Rodrigo Duterte. (photo: ABS-CBN News)
Stop the $2 Billion Arms Sale to the Philippines
Amee Chew, Jacobin
Chew writes: "Amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the US government is brokering a billion arms sale to Rodrigo Duterte's repressive regime. The sale would only pour further fuel on an already dire human rights catastrophe."
READ MORE
Amee Chew, Jacobin
Chew writes: "Amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the US government is brokering a billion arms sale to Rodrigo Duterte's repressive regime. The sale would only pour further fuel on an already dire human rights catastrophe."
READ MORE
Officers wearing riot gear line the edge of the California state capitol grounds after removing protesters on May 1, 2020. (photo: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
Federal Government Buys Riot Gear, Increases Security Funding, Citing Coronavirus Pandemic
Lee Fang, The Intercept
Fang writes: "The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show."
READ MORE
Lee Fang, The Intercept
Fang writes: "The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show."
READ MORE
Juan Guaido. (photo: Matías Baglietto/Getty Images)
Venezuela Reveals Proof of Guaido's Involvement in Foiled Coup Plot
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Venezuela's government revealed Sunday more evidence that links lawmaker Juan Guaido with the foiled May 3 plot, aimed at killing President Nicolas Maduro through mercenaries hired by the firm Silvercorp USA."
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Venezuela's government revealed Sunday more evidence that links lawmaker Juan Guaido with the foiled May 3 plot, aimed at killing President Nicolas Maduro through mercenaries hired by the firm Silvercorp USA."
EXCERPT:
On April 28, Volk Law sent a collection notice for US$1.5 million agreed between Guaido and Goudreau in the Oct. 16, 2019, contract with Silvercorp USA. Here is the letter.
The former U.S. special forces went public arguing he only got US$50,000 through political consultant Juan Jose Rendon and the opposition kept promising to get him the rest but didn’t deliver.
The U.S.-based company hired by Guaido and his allies was meant to provide services, including “strategic planning,” “equipment procuring” and “project execution advisement.”
The U.S. mercenary was allegedly responsible for training a contingent of 300 Venezuelan army deserters in three makeshift camps alongside the Colombian-Venezuelan border who were to enter Venezuela in a heavily armed caravan and seize the capital within 96 hours.
These investigations and more than 90 arrests are now part of the unraveling of the so-called ‘Operation Gedeon’, which is lead by Goudreau.
Irma Maldanado stands with Sussury her parrot and her dog in what is left of her home that was destroyed when Hurricane Maria passed through on September 27, 2017 in Corozal, Puerto Rico. (photo: Getty Images)
Climate Change Is Fueling Extreme Weather That Lowers Cancer Survival Rate and Threatens Prevention
Emma Newburger, CNBC News
Newburger writes: "Climate change has triggered more frequent weather disasters like hurricanes and wildfires that release deadly carcinogens into communities and delay access to cancer treatment."
Emma Newburger, CNBC News
Newburger writes: "Climate change has triggered more frequent weather disasters like hurricanes and wildfires that release deadly carcinogens into communities and delay access to cancer treatment."
EXCERPT:
The half-life of some of the carcinogens detected after Harvey is up to 50 years, researchers said. Some areas in Houston have experienced higher levels of childhood leukemia driven by a high concentration of chemicals in the air.
Climate change has also triggered longer and more destructive wildfire seasons in the U.S., releasing pollutants that remain in the air for months after the flames dissipate.
In 2018, California experienced the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season on record with a total of 8,527 blazes burning nearly 2 million acres. The smoke traveled all the way to New England, while air pollution in the San Francisco Bay Area was among the worst levels in the world.
Extreme weather disasters also lower cancer survival rates. One study shows that cancer patients were 19% more likely to die when hurricane declarations were made during their therapy because of treatment interruptions compared with patients who had regular access to care.
“For patients with cancer, the effects of hurricanes on access to cancer care can mean the difference between life and death,” the authors wrote.
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2018 it shut down several factories that provided live-saving IV fluid bags to U.S. hospitals, causing shortages in cancer facilities nationwide.
Cancer is the No. 2 cause of death globally. Nearly 10 million people worldwide will die from cancer this year, according to researchers.
Some cancer treatment centers have tried to adapt to climate threats by implementing plans to provide resilience to future flooding events.
Climate-change mitigation efforts in general can benefit cancer prevention by lowering harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists urged interventions like increased use of renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing and reduced intake of red and processed meat.
“Climate change is not a future threat. It is impacting cancer outcomes today and there are things we can do to respond,” said Leticia Nogueira, a scientist at the American Cancer Society and an author of the report.
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